


The Rule of Three

by Squirrel_Stone



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: All Realities Are Separate, BDSM themes, But not always, Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Darcy Lewis-centric, Darcy is Bucky's Daughter, Darcy is Loki, Darcy is Natasha and Bucky's Daughter, Darcy is Natasha's Daughter, Darcy is the fandom bicycle and I love it, Discussion of Sex with a Minor, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Multiple Realities, Multiple Selves, Multiple Universes Colliding, Multiple Universes Equals Multiple Pairings, Odin's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-04-06 22:25:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4238814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squirrel_Stone/pseuds/Squirrel_Stone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Darcy is young, she comes across a little something that will change her life forever. She can see herself as she could have been in other lives, and sometimes those lives can make the world very, very different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rhiannon AC (GypsyRhia)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Rhiannon+AC+%28GypsyRhia%29).



> Based on Rhiannon-A-Christy's idea: "AU where Darcy is connected to and communicates with every other version of herself throughout every universe." This messed me up, hun, you have no idea.

It’s her second birthday and the adults are far more interested in each other after the initial cooing over her. She knows how to walk and is an absolutely disaster on two feet, pushing things over and getting into places she shouldn’t be. She’s made it past the child safety gate and up the stairs, heading into her parents’ bedroom to play with Mommy’s makeup.

Darcy giggles after she sneezes into the blush, flecks of red flying everywhere and settling on the counter, the mirror, her. She tosses it aside in favor of a brighter shade kept in a tube, and she smears it all over her mouth just like she’d seen Mommy do. Of course, Mommy did it with a lot more finesse.

She loses interest in the lipstick after all of ten seconds and tosses it aside, instead grabbing at a box. Her chubby hands fumble with the lid, but after a while, it gets thrown on the floor. She’s frustrated with the box now and turns it over, dumping out its contents. She even slams the box down on the edge of the counter a couple of times for good measure. On the second hit, a small stone comes flying out from between the creases in the box, hitting the mirror before landing in front of Darcy.

The box drops immediately, and Darcy reaches out to touch the stone.

Something’s wrong. Darcy gets that yucky feeling in her tummy that she hates, and she turns to look at herself in the mirror. She sees herself frowning back, but what’s behind her isn’t her parents’ bathroom. The bathroom is darker, colder, more barebones.

The other Darcy has her hair in two braids, and a redheaded woman is tying off the second one. “Are you going to be good for Mommy, Darcy?” the woman asks, and Darcy whips her head around. The wall is covered in bright yellow flowers on a blue background, the same wallpaper her mother complains about at least once a week—not the musty concrete wall in the mirror.

Darcy turns her head back just in time to see the other Darcy doing the same thing. She smiles a little. “I’ll be good,” she promises, and they both reach out to touch the mirror.

The second her fingers touch the glass, the image changes to another Darcy, this one in a much nicer bathroom, all sleek metal and chrome. The new Darcy is in a party dress, getting her hair brushed by a man with brown hair. “You ready for your party, munchkin?” he asks. Both Darcys nod and grin up at the man.

Darcy taps the mirror again with a hint of excitement, all thoughts of her upset stomach gone. This time, the woman looking back is older, maybe in her twenties. She wears a green dress and a gold tiara, and there’s mischief in her eyes. She chuckles at the young girl and reaches out, tapping the mirror before Darcy can reach.

She loses count after that, seeing as she can only count to three, but she’s pretty sure she could have been able to count to _ten_ and not kept up with them.

In the end, she’s positively giddy and terrified and breathless all at once. Her mother finds her staring at the mirror, and she mildly berates her child while cleaning the makeup off Darcy’s face. Naturally, the toddler isn’t listening, too busy wound up in her own world.


	2. The Sorceress's Input

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy and the Sorceress talk and we see how things might have turned out if Loki was a woman.

“Does it bother you?” Darcy asks the mirror as she brushes her hair. She can see a faint vision of a woman years older than her cloning her actions, separating certain pieces to put in a braid later.

_“Not at all,”_ the woman replies. “ _You are young still, Darcy. You will understand more in time.”_ She pulls at a strand of Darcy’s hair, and Darcy copies the action. “ _What is it that worries you so?”_ She braids Darcy’s hair like she can actually grasp it, and the ten-year-old follows her lead.

Darcy sighs and turns so she can look at the woman instead of just seeing her in the mirror. “It’s Katya,” she explains. “Does she know about me—about us—and everything else? She has that power now…”

The Sorceress shakes her head. “ _I fear not, darling. The others may get glimpses of us, but we are the only two who are fully aware as of yet. She’s close though. She'll learn.”_ She pats Darcy’s hand so she’ll turn around again and let her finish the braid.

Darcy follows her lead without objection, but her eyes are a little bit sadder. “She’s gonna hurt people,” she whispers.

The Sorceress doesn’t respond.

* * *

 

When Darcy is fifteen, she gets her heart broken, and she mopes around in her room. She calls upon the Sorceress, looking for someone, anyone, who might understand or at least get her mind off things.

“What was your life like before I was born?” she asks as the Sorceress runs her fingers through her hair. She sighs. “I bet you never had to deal with stupid idiots like Josh.”

The Sorceress laughs and shakes her head. _“Worse—I had to deal with Thor,”_ she jokes, ruffling Darcy’s hair. It’s quickly corrected by the disgruntled teenager. _“We knew from an early age that I was adopted, mostly with the intention that we would marry. After my 500 th birthday, we were informed of my Jotun heritage. Thor did not handle it well. He avoided me for years after that.”_

Darcy’s eyes widen. “ _Years_?” she asks, propping herself up on her elbows to get a better look at the Sorceress. “What a jerk!”

_“That was my thought at the time,”_ the Sorceress confirms with a nod. _“It took us eons to reconcile, and there was much for us to talk about.”_

“Like the fact that he’s a prejudiced asshole?” Darcy grumbles.

The Sorceress winces and makes a small noise. _“That’s not the way I would put it, but Odin did allow our fear of Jotuns to grow as children.”_

“So it’s his fault.”

_“Yes—no.”_ The Sorceress sighs. _“There was a certain amount of anger towards Jotuns embedded in our teachings, but I doubt he and Frigga intended for it to take hold in Thor as it did.”_

Slowly, Darcy relaxes, lying back down on her stomach with her head turned to the side. “How did you fix things with him?”

_“It took time and patience,”_ the Sorceress explains. _“He had to come to terms with the fact that his beliefs were wrong and that the stories we heard as children were just that: stories. In the end he apologized, and we continued with wedding plans.”_ She goes back to running her fingers through Darcy’s hair as she continues, _“A little over a year after I turned 700—that’s the Asgardian age of majority—we got married.”_

Darcy turns over, a dopey smile on her face. “What about the wedding night?”

The Sorceress laughs a little. _“Oh no, you are too young to hear about that,”_ she objects.

“Oh really, because I distinctly remember walking in on you and Thor when I was twelve, and you guys were—”

_“Okay, okay, enough,”_ the Sorceress surrenders, lifting her hands defensively. _“I thought we agreed to never talk about that again.”_

“You never did explain the four prisoners…”

_“Do you want to hear about our wedding night or not?”_ When Darcy doesn’t respond, the Sorceress begins. _“After the reception, Thor and I retired to our chambers with a few members of court—you must understand that on Asgard, and even in Midgard’s past, it is common for royalty to be watched during their consummation. He was incredibly gentle; he removed my clothes like I was a china doll he was afraid of breaking.”_

The Sorceress smiles fondly and twirls a strand of hair around her finger like a schoolgirl with a crush _. “He asked me time and time again if I was comfortable and ensured my pleasure before his own. Never before had a man been so attentive to me; that was when I knew I was in love with him.”_

Darcy props herself up on her shoulders and tilts her head. “What changed?” she asks. “I mean—okay, I know you don’t like me talking about it, but hear me out—what changed between that moment and when you two decided to shack up in the dungeons in front of a bunch of prisoners?”

The Sorceress rolls her eyes, knowing full well that Darcy has no intention of letting up on the subject. _“Well first off, those prisoners were set to be executed the next day, so it wasn’t like they’d have gotten the chance to tell anyone. As for our actions themselves, Thor and I enjoy a hint of adventure from time to time during lovemaking. You’ll learn that gentleness and excitement are not mutually exclusive. Given some time and the chance to find an individual—or_ individuals _—you trust, you may find yourself wishing you had access to a dungeon of your own.”_

A giggle escapes Darcy, and she covers her mouth to muffle the noise. When she finally catches her breath, she maneuvers herself back onto her stomach, her legs kicked up and her hands supporting her head. “Alright, but isn’t it weird with all these different realities?” she asks, trying to hold back another giggle. She wrinkles her nose. “I mean, you’re Loki, but in another reality, you’re his wife, and in another, you’re his daughter, so… it’s _weird_ , right?”

_“Not at all,”_ the Sorceress assures her alternate self. _“Their realities are different than ours; there is no crossing over aside from our ability to see one another. I am no more related to Hel of one world than you are to the president of your country.”_

Darcy winces. “Yeah, I would hope I’m not related to the president…” The two women share a look before bursting into laughter.

* * *

 

Every now and then, Darcy can tell when something is changing, diverting based on her presence or lack thereof. When she’s 21, the Sorceress and Thor’s coronation is attacked by Jotuns in an attempt to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters.

_“It's unwise to be in my company now, my love. This was to be my day of triumph.”_

_“It’ll come, in time,”_ the Sorceress replies. She sighs and places a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “ _If it's any consolation, I think you're right. About the Frost Giants, about my birth father, about everything. If they found a way to penetrate Asgard's defenses once, who's to say they won't try again. Next time with an army.”_

Thor purses his lips. Needless to say, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

_“What is it, my love?”_

There’s a moment’s hesitation before Thor explains, “ _I fear that the Casket was not Laufey’s only goal.”_ He brushes a strand of hair away from her face. _“I do not wish for you to be harmed.”_

The Sorceress smiles a little but shakes her head. “ _Well there’s nothing you can do without defying Father.”_

Thor grins a little at his wife, causing her own smile to fall in a heartbeat.

_“No,”_ she objects firmly. “ _No, no, no, no, no! I know that look!”_

_“It is the only way to ensure the safety of our borders… and of you.”_ Thor gives the Sorceress a puppy dog smile, and Darcy is glad she isn’t the one who has to respond to it.

_“It is madness, husband!”_ the Sorceress claims.

Volstagg raises an eyebrow. “ _Madness?”_ he asks. “ _What sort of madness?”_

_“We’re going to Jotunheim!”_ Thor proclaims, getting to his feet, and the Sorceress buries her head in her hands.

Without wasting another second, the Sorceress jumps up from her seat and approaches Thor, pulling him into a kiss.

Thor pulls away with a little whine. “ _My love, we must—”_

The Sorceress gets on her tip toes and manages to kiss Thor’s neck as he tries to pull back, drawing a moan out of him. She turns them both so Thor’s back is to Sif and the Warriors Three, and she waves them off with a flick of her hand.

Darcy can hear their snickers as they walk away.

_“So easily controlled by women,”_ Fandral claims.

Sif lets out a full laugh. “ _Hilarious, coming from you. Let Loki work her magic and Thor will cool down in no time.”_

Darcy winces and looks out of the lab up at the sky as dusk falls. There is no way the Loki in her reality would be able to pull off that diversion tactic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, Darcy is 15 in 2005, so I'm sure you can figure out which president she's talking about and why she has no interest in being related to him. XD


	3. The Siren's Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Darcy wishes she had the Siren's powers.

The Siren is messing with Darcy again. Oh how she wishes she could take that power and use it, but alas! She just has to watch as the Siren gets Jane to go to bed without a fuss while Darcy is still waving Pop Tarts in the scientist’s face.

The Siren giggles as she leans down next to Jane while she’s working. _“You leave me no choice,”_ she whispers before she starts to sing a slow, melodic tune.

_“I’ve been awake for a while now,_  
_You've got me feelin' like a child now,_  
_'Cause every time I see your bubbly face,  
_ _I get the tingles in a silly place.”_

Jane is halfway out of her chair before the end of the first line, and she turns to look at the Siren. She whimpers a little and reaches out, taking the Siren’s hand. _“You’re mean,”_ she claims, taking a step closer.

_“You love it,”_ the Siren replies simply before going back to singing.

_“It starts in my toes,_  
_And I crinkle my nose,_  
_Wherever it goes,_  
_I always know,_  
_That you make me smile,_  
_Please stay for a while now,_  
_Just take your time,  
_ _Wherever you go."_

Thor and Loki are absolutely enraptured, on their feet and staring at the Siren. Erik is the only one unaffected, and he just shakes his head.

_“Darce, you’re forgetting we have guests,”_ he says. _“Guests who can actually hear that frequency you use.”_

The Siren groans and turns to the Asgardian brothers. _“Sorry, boys, but I don’t take lovers who have only heard my songs without consenting first,”_ she claims before singing to Jane again.

Thor and Loki are so obviously love-struck, and the former objects, _“Then why does Jane get to go with you?”_

Jane’s eyes don’t leave the Siren’s as she explains, _“I okayed this a long time ago; we’ve been together longer than I knew she was a siren.”_

The Siren giggles. _“We’ll talk it out tomorrow, boys.”_ She wraps an arm around Jane’s waist and pulls her towards the bedroom. As soon as the door is shut, the Siren looks Jane over like a cat watching its prey. _“So what will get you to sleep?”_ she teases, running a finger along Jane’s collar.

Jane whimpers, pressing her body closer to the Siren’s hand. The Siren only pulls her hand away. _“Tease.”_

_“You’re the one who said I could use my powers to get you to bed if I needed to,”_ the Siren reminds her. _“Now… tell me what you want…”_ She leans in, placing her lips against Jane’s neck. She hums an unintelligible tune, and a moan falls from Jane’s lips.

_“That,”_ Jane pants out, her nails clawing at the back of the Siren’s shirt. _“Keep… keep doing that.”_

The Siren continues her song, letting her lips vibrate over Jane’s neck, her collar bone, atop her breast. _“So what do you think of those boys?”_ she asks.

Jane hums. _“I want ‘em,”_ she whispers.

_“We can talk to them tomorrow,”_ the Siren promises, lowering herself to her knees.

“Darcy!”

The intern jumps, her eyes darting to Jane, who’s suddenly standing in front of her. “Yeah?” she asks, completely oblivious to what was going on.

“I’m gonna go to sleep,” Jane explains. “It’s your turn to take the bedroom.”

“Oh, uh, no I’ll take the trailer,” Darcy offers. A smirk crosses her face. “Besides, I’m sure you want the bed to be with Thor.”

Thor raises an eyebrow, both at the words and the light hit Jane gives her intern’s arm.

“Shut it,” Jane grumbles.

She doesn’t hear from the Siren again for a couple of days until they’re attacked—Darcy’s world by Loki and the Siren’s world by Jotuns.

Looking around at the aftermath of the chaos, Darcy sees a familiar face. “Oh fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, this one did not go as planned. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer, and especially the chapter after that. Also, I've got two verses where I can't decide what Darcy will be. Anyone have any suggestions?


End file.
